82R32512 BPG-D

By: Branch H.C.R. No. 2

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Lone Star State lost a distinguished and pivotal figure in Texas politics on May 29, 2011, with the death of former governor William P. Clements, Jr.; and

WHEREAS, The state's second-longest-serving governor and first Republican governor since Reconstruction, Bill Clements was initially elected in 1978, having never before run for public office; he served until 1983 and then made a stunning comeback four years later to serve another term; and

WHEREAS, During his combined eight-year tenure, he established a reputation as an efficient, business-like chief executive, and his gubernatorial appointments generally reflected a results-oriented approach; he also named the first two women to the Texas Supreme Court and the first African American to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals; moreover, he took a leading role in the war on drugs and advocated powerfully for anticrime bills passed by the legislature, and he initiated an extensive renovation of the State Capitol; and

WHEREAS, Born in Dallas on April 13, 1917, Bill Clements was an all-state guard on the Highland Park High School football team; he was offered athletic scholarships but turned them down in order to help his family during the Great Depression; after working in South Texas as a roughneck and driller, he attended The University of Texas at Austin and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1939; he returned to the oil fields, and in 1947 he and two partners borrowed the money to buy two oil rigs and start a company, SEDCO, which grew to become the world's largest oil drilling contracting firm; and

WHEREAS, This self-made multimillionaire initially rejected attempts by Texas Republicans to recruit him for public office though he worked actively in the party; in 1972, he served as Texas co-chair of President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign, and he was appointed deputy secretary of defense the following year and remained at the Pentagon during the Ford administration; he decided to run for governor in 1978 and surprised many when he defeated a better-known opponent; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, Governor Clements was a generous benefactor of institutions of higher education; he and his wife, Rita, contributed well over $20 million for facilities, programs, and professorships at SMU, and he served several terms as a member and officer of the board of trustees; through his support, the university's William P. Clements Center for Southwest Studies developed into an internationally known catalyst for research, publishing, and public programming in a variety of disciplines related to the American Southwest and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands; named trustee emeritus in 1991, he was also recognized with the Mustang Award, an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree, and the SMU Distinguished Alumni Award; in 2009, Governor Clements continued his philanthropy and gave a remarkable $100 million to UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, the largest single gift in the history of the institution; and

WHEREAS, Plain-spoken, pragmatic, and dedicated to the prosperity of the Lone Star State, Bill Clements brought a business perspective to government, and his achievements will continue to resonate in the lives of his fellow Texans for years to come; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the 82nd Legislature of the State of Texas hereby pay tribute to the memory of the Honorable William P. Clements, Jr., and extend sincere condolences to the members of his family: to his wife, Rita Crocker Clements; to his daughter, Nancy Clements Seay; and to all those who mourn the passing of this esteemed Texan; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory of former governor Bill Clements.